Composition for preventing moisture from attacking paint films on surfaces of porous masonry from therebelow



2,290,707 PAINT FILM BELOW R. A. PLUMB PREVENTIN MOlSTURE FROM AITACKING- URFACES 0F OROUS FROM THERE Fil d D6 39 July 21, 1942.

COMPOSITIO o I INVENTOR 29 f7. 7 11027 BY 7 I A ORNEY MASONRY e c. 11, 19

?atented July 21, 1942 COMPOSITION FOR PREVENTING MOIS: TUBE FROM AT-TACKING PAINT FILMS N SURFACES OF POROUS MASONRY FROM THEREBELOW Roy A. Plumb, Pleasant Ridge, Mich., asslgnor to Truscon Laboratories, Inc., a corporation of Michigan Application December 11, ,1939, Serial No. 308,552

tries s Qlaims. (Cl. 106-245) This invention relates to-an improved composition for preventing moisture from attacking paint films on surfaces of porous masonry from therebelow applicable as a pro-treatment to painting exposed surfaces of porous masonry such Another object of the invention is to provide a as basement walls, artificial and natural stone composition and method for pre-treating masonry trim, cement roof tile and the like. prior to applying a paint film thereover which As a general rule there is no major dissatisproduces at and below the surface treated a laction or complaint with the length of life of condition of effective negative capillarity in the standard types and qualities of paint coatings 1 walls of the pores of the masonry whereby to applied to dry, porous masonry surfaces. When pos ive y repel o t e from attacking the d used on dry masonry surfaces paint films or b w en t e p i fi m d t e y. coatings show throughout their years of service a o Other objects of the invention w b c pslow dusting and breaking down of their binder. parent y r f r nce to he f l wi d ail d d Such slow progressive perishment of paint coatsoription taken in connection with the accomings results from general exposure to the elements De y n d aw ng, n wh ch; and is normally expected. However, when .moisg. 1 i ara ment ry se a V w through ture is permitted to collect and accumulate at a piece of por us masonry ov r which a p t masonry surfaces behind or under paint coatings fi has e app applied thereover, a general relatively rapid weak- 2 is a fragmentary seetional'view through ening and destruction of the bond between the a pi e f p us s y p d w a paint coating and the masonry structure to which ng e app at n Of a moisture repellent 0 it is applied takes place, saponification of saponiposition embodying the invention. fiable oils in the paint coating occurs, and a Fig. 3 is a fragme y sectional v w through definite crazing, peeling and scaling of the paint t e porous masonry shown in Fig. 2 after having coating from the masonry surface results. a paint film or coating applied thereover.

Many so-called primers and sealers for porous g- 4 s a great y enlar ed frag e y surfaces have been developed, however, the primtional view taken on the line 44 of Fig. 3- ers and sealers of the prior art have not been Heretofore in P t te y i w s 0011- found to be satisfactory inasmuch as they a sidered necessary and essential to filland seal not repellent to moisture. The primers and h po s of mas ry t e pa t d with a seal r sealers are generally nothing more than less primer h e had no p ar e viscous formulations of the coating materials to f t t ward p v nt n st e r m attac n be applied later, the reduction of viscosity being the bond s ab sh d tw n the paint film and accomplished by the addition of either a volatile e masonry upon the dryin and hardening of product or a vehicle similar to the one used in the the paint film- Wh n oistur radually works later applied finished coat, The primers and its way under the paint film either from above sealers merely establish an under film which below the Paint t bond w n the serves as an anchorage for the later applied paint film and the masonry becomes weakened finished paint films. Other primers and sealers 40 and auses, in a mpa at v y short p d of have been developed which are com osed of untim a c az peeling an scali f the paint saponifiable materials such as derivatives of rubfi o coating from t s y surface. In her, phenol-formaldehyde resins and the like, pa nt coatings pp e m s nr ur a however, while 'unsaponifiable, such primers and d Where a good grade of Paint is p y e sealers do not prevent the crazing, cracking and 5 reat majority. of failures of the bond between peeling off of paint films applied thereover due the paint film and the masonry, even after a so-- to the attack of moisture from therebelow. called primer and sealer has been used, are caused v The primary object of the invention is to pmfrom an attack on the underside of the paint vide a composition and method for dampprooflllg film by moisture from therebelow. masonry as a pre-treatment to the application The applicant has discovered that, rather than of a paint film over the surface of the masonry which definitely and positively seals and locks the pores of the masonry against moisture to a sumcient depth and with suflicient thoroughness to establish a water-repellent zone at and below the later applied paint film which will prevent moisture from coming into contact with the underside of the paint film applied over the surface of pretreated masonry.

to attempt to seal the pores of masonry' to be painted at the surface thereof or to fill the surface pores with a. sealer orprimer, the employment of the novel composition and method herein disclosed for pre-treatment of porous masonry to be painted manifests a definite and pronounced water repellency to the walls of the pores of the masonry for a considerable depth below the surface to which the pre-treatment is applied, which pre-treatment establishes a condition of effective negative capillarity in a relatively deep water-repellent zone below the surface of the masonry pre-treated.

When moisture comes into contact with the pre-treated water-repellant zone below the paint film or coating applied to the surface of relatively porous masonry, the passage of the moisture by capillarity from therebelow toward the underside of the paint film is definitely arrested and repelled due to the .fact that the moisture .cannot possibly wet the pores in the treated zone. As a result, the underside of a paint film or coating applied over the pre-treated masonry surface cannot possibly be attacked by moisture from be ow, the bond between the paint film and the masonry cannot be weakened or destroyed, and crazing, peeling and scaling of the paint film or coating is prevented.

A composition embodying the invention found extremely satisfactory for the pre-treatment of masonry surfaces priorto applying a paint film or coating thereover comprises:

Petroleum distillate thinner having a boiling range of approximately 270 to 410 F.... 416 Carbon tetrachloride thinner 2'14 The raw China-wood oil and paraffin wax is heated together until it reaches a temperature of approximately 300 F. and is stirred while maintained at approximately that temperature until the wax becomes dissolved in the oil. The solutionof wax and oil is then removed from the source of heat and, with continued stirring, the petroleum distillate thinner is added followed by the carbon tetrachloride th nner. The resultant solution is clear and transparent and is characterized by having a very low viscosity and by having a great ability to penetrate rapidly and deeplyjnto porous masonry.

As the composition penetrates a porous masonry structure, the volatile distillate and carbon tetrachloride evaporate leaving the wax and raw China-wood oil deposited on and immovably anchored to the inner walls of the pores of the porous masonry structure. The raw China-wood oil is employed for its distinct characteristic that the beta-eleostearic glyceride: therein crystallizes soon after the evaporation of the distillate and the carbon tetrachloride into a relatively solid material which, upon deposit in the pores of the masonry structure and aft r drying in the wellknown manner common to drying oils generally, is more difficult to wet than dried deposits of other drying oils. Because of. imparting nonwetability to the porous masonry to which it is applied, the raw China-wood oil together with the paraflin wax establishes a definite zone of negative capillarity below the surface of the porous masonry structure pre-treated by the novel composition herein disclosed. The heating of the raw China-wood oil to approximately 300 F. during the preparation of compositions embodying the invention in no manner adversely affects the useful characteristic impartedto the composition by the raw China-wood oil crystallizing upon drying, namely, the ability to prevent the wetting of the pores of the masonry pretreated which establishes a definite zone of negative capillarity below the surface pre-treated prior to painting.

It has been found that the il of wax employed in the foregoing preferred embodiment of the invention may be varied to 3% to 4% without undue precipitation during the pretreatment of a masonry surface by the composition. The carbon tetrachloride thinner is employed to lower the temperature at which the wax precipitates out of solution whereby to prevent the wax from becoming deposited at or near the surface of the masonry during pre-treatment and thus to assure the establishment of a deep zone of negative capillarity below the surface to be painted. carbon tetrachloride also raises-the flash point of the composition which substantially eliminates the fire hazard at the temperature at which the composition is heated for application to a masonry structure.

The preferred embodiment of the invention heretofore given by example is used as a pretreatment to masonry hating the average porosity. Where the porosity of masonry to be pre-treated is high, the amount of raw Chinawood oil may be increased to as high as 300 lbs., and, where the porosity of the masonry to be pre-treated is low, the amount of raw Chinawood oil may be reduced to as low as 200 lbs.

In each instance the precentage of wax employed in the composition is preferably kept within the range of 3% to 4% and the amount of carbon tetrachloride thinner employed is preferably maintained at approximately 33%% by weight of the total thinner'used.

The novel composition is applied to the exposed surface of a porous masonry structure such as basement walls, artificial or natural stone trim, cement roof tile or the like as a pretreatment to the painting of the surface thereof by first thoroughly cleaning the surface to be treated, then heating the composition to approximately to F., then spreading the heated composition over the cleaned surface, and then working the composition well into the masonry structure by an easy scrubbing motion with a suitable brush or broom.

Referring now to the drawing wherein like nus merals refer to like and corresponding parts throughout the several views, the porous piece of masonry l0 shown in Fig. 1 has the usual paint film ll applied over its top and end surface. It will be noted that there is a slight penetration of the paint. into the surface pores at [2. Such a paint film is continuously subject to attack from below by moisture, and, in the case of a cementitious masonry structure i0, lime therefrom carried to the underside of the paint film l t by capillarity will cause saponification of saponifiable oils generally employed in the paint film. All of which causes the paint film to disintegrate, craze, crack, peel and scale, leaving in a relatively short time, an inefficient painted surface which readily admits water from the top or outside of the paint film l0.

Fig. 2 shows a porous piece of masonry I0 having its top and end surface treated with a composition embodying the invention. It will be noted that the composition penetrates to a considerable depth and creates a water-repellent zone H of complete negative capillarity. The said water-repellent zone I4 is generally from 3 8" to V2" deep, all according to the porosity of the masonry I0.

2,290,707 In Fig. 3, a paint m H has been'applied over the top and end surface of the porous piece of masonry l after pre-treatment with a composition embodying the invention to establish the water-repellent zone M of complete negative capillarity.

Fig. 4 shows a greatly enlarged sectional view through the pre-treated and painted porous piece of masonry Ill. It will be noted that the paintfilm l I only penetrates and becomes engaged in the surface pores l5 a short distance below the surface H0 of the masonry III as indicated by the numeral l2. The small penetration of the paint is due to the factthat paint must have sufficient body to establish a film immediately upon application to a surface and before drying and hardening, which body prevents penetration any appreciable depth into the surface pores of the structure painted.

In contradistinction, it will be particularly noted that the pre-treatment composition herein disclosed penetrates to a relatively great depth to establish the water-repellent zone [4. Both the surface pores l5 and the below-surface pores IS in the water-repellent zone l4 are coated at I! by the pre-treatment composition embodying the invention which completely Waterproofs them and prevents theirwetting. Inasmuch as the interior or below-surface pores [6 in the water-repellent zone i4 cannot be wetted, obviously, the normal capillarity of the porous masonry I0 is destroyed in the water-repellent zone l4 and a condition of complete negative capillarity is obtained. A

The applicant herein has attacked the problem of pre-treating a porous masonry surface prior to painting to make it water-repellent not by providing a surface primer, not by providing a surface pore filler, but by establishing a definite zone of negative capillarity in a porous masonry structure below' the surface thereof to be painted. Cleo-resinous paint coatings applied to masonry surfaces after pre-treatment in accordance with the invention herein disclosed stay intact much longer than heretofore possible due to the freedom therebelow.

It is to be understood that the particular com-' position and method disclosed and the procedure set forth are presented herein for the purpose of illustration and explanation only, and that various equivalents can be used and modificathe spirit of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

, 33/s% by weight of the from attack from moisture of petroleum carbon tetrachloride.

I claim:

1. A composition for preventing moisture from attacking paint films on surfaces of porous masonry from therebelow applicable as a' pretreatment of the porous masonry prior to applying a paint coating thereover consisting of a solution of raw China-wood oil, a paraffin wax and a thinner wherein the wax content is not less than 3% nor more than 4% by weight of the composition and the China-wood oil is equal to approximately 8 times byweight of the wax.

2. A composition for preventing moisture from attacking paint films on surfaces of, porous masonry from therebelow applicable as a pretreatment of the porous masonry prior to applying a paint coating thereover consisting of a solution of raw China-wood oil, a paraffin wax, and a petroleum.- distillate and carbon tetrachloride thinner in which the wax content is not less than 3% or more than 4% by weight of the composition and the China-wood oil is equal to approximately 8 times by weight of the wax.

3. A composition for the pre-treatment of porous masonry prior to applying a paint coating thereover consisting of asolution of raw China-wood oil, a paraflln wax, and a petroleum distillate and carbon tetrachloride thinner in which the wax content is not less than 3% or more than 4% by weight of the composition and.v

in which carbon tetrachloride is approximately thinner and wherein the China-wood oil is equal to approximately 8 times by weight of the wax.

4. A composition for the pre-treatment' of porous masonry prior to applying a paint coating thereover consisting of a solution of from 3% to 4% by weight of paraflin wax, 200 to 300 lbs, of raw China-wood oil and 630 lbs. of a petroleum distillate and carbon tetrachloride thinner.

v5. A composition for the pre-treatment of porous masonry prior to applying a paint coating thereover consisting of a solution of from 3% to 4% by weight of paraffin wax, 200 to 300 lbs. of raw China-wood oil, and 630 lbs. of thinner of which approximately one-third by weight iscarbon tetrachloride.

6. A composition for the pre-treatment of porous masonry prior to applying a paint coating thereover consisting of a solution of approximately 32 lbs. of paraffln wax having a melting point .of 118 to 132 F., approximately 250 lbs. of raw China-wood oil, approximately 416 lbs. distillate having a boiling range of F., and approximately 214 lbs. of

- ROY a. enema. 

